When Gilmore's Gone: Cowboys Pick Stephon Replacement in Mock Draft
The Dallas Cowboys' veteran offseason affairs have them primed to build upon another 12-win season. Brandin Cooks provides an established target for Dak Prescott while Stephon Gilmore is an accomplished talent in the secondary.
With such signings, however, come questions about the future, namely who takes over for the veterans once their final snaps have played out. An early 2024 mock draft from ESPN accounts for the (soon to be) 33-year-old Gilmore's looming departure by having the Cowboys draft Florida cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. with the 27th overall choice.
Some see Marshall poised for a big leap in his third year in Gainesville, one that will put him on the radar of defense-hungry NFL employers. In two seasons as a Gator to date, Marshall has amassed 52 tackles, 11 pass breakups (ranking in the SEC's top 10 in the category last season), and two interceptions.
Draft analyst Jordan Reid hints that drafting Marshall would alleviate the losses of both Gilmore and Trevon Diggs, both of whom are set to be free agents come next spring.
"Stephon Gilmore ... doesn't seem to be in the Cowboys' long-term plans," Reid said. "Trevon Diggs is likely to become expensive in the near future. That is to say the Cowboys may be relying on drafting well in the secondary behind Diggs."
Reid also lists the Cowboys as in the market for both offensive linemen and running backs. ... and we're going to tap the brakes on some of this. Reid has no insight into whether Gilmore, who does have just one year left on his contract, "is in the Cowboys' long-term plans.'' We can tell you no determination has been made there. Same at the two other positions; we know Reid is playing the "projection game'' here ... but Dallas is nowhere near deciding what's going to happen to those two units in 2024.
Having said that: Watching Dallas use its draft stock on a secondary defender would hardly be a surprise for anyone who has taken even a passing interest (pun intended) in the selection habits of America's Team.
With the exception of Gilmore and Malik Hooker, Dallas has mostly built up its secondary through homegrown talents, including Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, Donovan Wilson, DaRon Bland, and Kelvin Joseph. Despite that, they have not used a first-round pick on a defender since Byron Jones in 2015, an arrival that also came at 27th overall.
Keeping things in-house worked in Dallas' favor last season: in pass defense, the Cowboys ranked seventh in interceptions and eighth in aerial yards against. And it can work again. But for 2023? Few things have a chance of working better than the former Defensive Player of the Year Gilmore does.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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